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Apr 2, 2011

Magical Sparkly Creature Stephane Lambiel

I admit, I have a slightly masochistic penchant for a certain type of skater—that is, the heart-breaking, utterly expressive type of skater who moves so beautifully across the ice, dancing to their music in a way that makes the rink seem more a watery than frozen medium...but who also can’t jump to save their lives. Without the ever-important jumps, these skaters, no matter how beautiful their other aspects of skating are, are usually doomed to languish at the bottom of the senior ranks, seen mostly in shaky, hand-held videos filmed by diligent fans at obscure senior B competitions, or a Grand Prix event or two.

But once in a blue moon, one of these skaters is blessed by the skategods and possesses enough technical acumen to ascend to the highest echelons of the sport.

For much of the past two Olympic cycles, this skater has been Stephane Lambiel.

When Mr. Lambiel first appeared on the elite skating scene, he was quite the revelation. Here was a skater who was quite unlike anyone else before him--the musicality! The programs! The spins!--from the way he moved on the ice to even the country he was from (Switzerland). Gaaah. Words fail me. I will, however, always feel a bit sad about the fact that by the time Mr. Lambiel reached the peak of artistic maturity, his athletic prime had already been eroded away by injuries.

But Mr. Lambiel's skating is still sublime nonetheless, and he deserves a place among luminaries such as John Curry and Janet Lynn in the pantheon of the Most Artistic Skaters Ever.

Multiple viewings of the programs listed below are absolutely mandatory, especially on today of all days:

SPANISH CARAVAN - 2005 WORLDS SP Spanish Caravan is my favorite Lambiel program that is not called Poeta. The absolute abandon and joy he skates with this program, particularly in the step sequences, is absolutely breathtaking. The quality of movement here is so clear, so bright and energized and perfect, it feels like Mr. Lambiel is skating right in front of you in the flesh. Or at the very least, on a HDTV screen.